Chennai Corporation yet to estimate number of damaged manholes, silt catch pits, and bus shelters

A damaged manhole at Pumping Station Road in Chennai on Thursday.
| Photo Credit: R. RAGU

Greater Chennai Corporation is yet to take stock of the number of damaged manholes on sidewalks, silt catch pits and bus shelters across the city. Officials of the concerned departments in the Corporation stated that the work for this will be initiated soon and expected to be consolidated before this week ends.

The stormwater drains and silt catch pits across the city were recently painted in yellow and black by the Corporation “to raise awareness and prevent garbage dumping.”

Sharing an image of a broken stormwater drain manhole painted by the Corporation recently allegedly taken from Anna Nagar roundtana outside a supermarket, a Twitter user said, “What is the use of painting it yellow if it’s broken? The whole purpose has been defeated.”

Tamil Nadu Association for the Rights of All Types of Differently Abled and Caregivers (TARATDAC) State General Secretary, B. Jansirani, emphasized the potential hazards posed by broken manholes and silt catch pits located on roadsides. She said such hazards could be particularly dangerous for visually challenged individuals, as they may trip if their canes or feet get stuck or hit while walking. “This is unsafe for preganant women, elderly and children walking on the pavements. The Corporation must take action soon. The association will petition the GCC soon regarding this,” she stated.

An engineer in the Storm Water Drain department of the GCC stated that the officials have been instructed by higher authorities few days ago to consolidate the number of damaged manholes and silt catch pits in the city, which is expected to be completed by this week.

Meanwhile, the Chennai Corporation also carried out mass cleaning of over 1,200 bus stop shelters on August 21. Yet, the number of damaged bus stands are yet to be estimated for repair.

A 31-year-old conservancy worker said that the bus stop shelter in her area in Tondiarpet has been undergoing repair for over three months. “Passengers stand near the ongoing shelter construction while waiting for the bus. Recently, while travelling towards Guindy with my kids and mother, we, alongside many people, got drenched in rain as several bus shelters were damaged in the city. The absence of cover leaves us bearing the brunt of scorching heat in the day and heavy rainfall at night,” she said.

A senior official in the corporation mentioned that the number of damaged bus shelters could be determined by the Public Health Department, which is involved in the mass cleaning, and then pass on the collected details to the department.

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